SimonWaldman.net

Mac Users like to write themselves notes. They must do, because there’s about a million different bits of software to let you do it. And I have tried them all.

Online stuff - Writely etc, is fine - but now I’m spending a lot of time on the train, I really need something that I can just use offline on my laptop - and then be able to sync onto my desktop.

I’ve been through Aquaminds Notetaker, MacJournal, SoHo Notes and CircusPonies Notebook. None of which have quite worked out for me.

SoHo Notes could really have done it, with the .Mac syncing - but in the end it was let down by the fact that I couldn’t get .Mac to work on my desktop, and frankly it’s quite a drain on resources.

So, I’ve ended up being very, very happy with Philip Dow’s Journler, which is donation-ware, and really rather wonderful.

Syncing is a bit of a pain (has to be done by moving the dB to a flash card..which only takes a second).

It could also do with more keyboard short cuts.

But it works on a combination of lables, and keywords/ tags, along wiht Smart Folders - which makes it very easy for chaotic types like myself to organise stuff.

Exporting and mailing files is a breeze, as is importing .pdfs/ web archives

It also works for blogging with Wordpress. Yes, it’s not on a par with Ecto or MarsEdit..but it does the job (I’m using it now).

It’s probably a little too feature rich on some of it’s iLife integration - but never mind…I’m sure that some people love it. It’s certainly more economic in its feature offering than most commercial packages. Go on, try it…

The number of gadgets and gizmos that have caught my eye and arrived in the post only to be remain completely unused, is quite frankly embarrassing, and a spectacular waste of natural resources.

The Jimi wallet, however has proved to be one of my best buys ever.

I am veteran wallet-loser. Not only that, but I also lose things like security cards, season tickets etc with embarrassing regularity. And, in my pre-jimi world my Wallet quickly became a three-inch thick wedge of receipts and general rubbish (wallet litter as they call it on the spy programmes).

So, one day I saw the Jimi on Gizmodo or Engadget..yes, of course I had to have it, but would this be another candidate for the gadget graveyard?

Here I am, five months in and I still haven’t lost it.

First it’s tied to my belt loops (a bit geeky but the benefits outweigh the lack of cool) so I dont’ put it down and forget where it is (used to do that all the time).

It’s also see through, so I can keep my season ticket on the outside, and security swipe cards (and Oyster cards) work from inside it…so everything is in one neat bundle..

Oh, and I’ve also stopped carrying quite so much crap around. Bit of cash, the cards I actually need (National Trust membership card? err, not really necessary today, thanks), and I can just squeeze in a few receipts, but they get offloaded quickly rather than carried around for a couple of years.

I realise that having written this, I will now probably lose it within a day..but so far, so good.

According to the latest forecasts from Point Topic. Hopefully, I’ll be among them…